I have to say, in general, I'm not a fan of trading players for cap space. IMO, the worst example of this was trading Billups for cap space, which IMO has not worked out.

Second, I didn't exactly understand trading Amir for Oberto's contract. Didn't we only end up getting only $1 million of cap space by trading Amir for Oberto and then cutting Oberto? Yet we still had to pay $3.5 million of the guaranteed portion of Oberto's contract. Paying $3.5 million for $1 million in cap space doesn't seem cost effective to me.

And third, I'd rather have Amir and Afflalo, who we also had to dump for the cap space needed to sign Wilcox, rather than Wilcox.

I could see this if keeping Chauncey meant things were going to get better with his salary on the books.... it was about closing a declining product line while opening a new chapter.

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I am not a fan of dumping players for salary cap reasons. I think you degrade the depth of the team and you end up with no young talent.
I like the way Portland has rebuilt. They have so much young talent that they can't even play them all. Many of their bench players probably could be starters. So Portland has the abilty to wheel and deal if necesscary to get what they need to get over the hump. The Pistons
still have very few assets to trade to improve the team. We have dead wood that nobody wants filling at least 3 to 4 roster spots.

I am not a fan of dumping players for salary cap reasons. I think you degrade the depth of the team and you end up with no young talent.I like the way Portland has rebuilt. They have so much young talent that they can't even play them all. Many of their bench players probably could be starters. So Portland has the abilty to wheel and deal if necesscary to get what they need to get over the hump. The Pistons
still have very few assets to trade to improve the team. We have dead wood that nobody wants filling at least 3 to 4 roster spots.

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Portland's rebuild is a result of Brandon Roy being the truth, Brandon Roy was the 6th overall pick in the draft -LOTTERY.
The next key piece: LeMarcus Aldridge, The #2 overall pick in the draft.
Jerryd Bayles: The #11 overall pick.
Martell Webster: #6 pick in the draft

Now Portland's ownership has done an excellent job of being agressive on draft night to get players like Fernandez and some others that haven't panned out. Port rebuilt via the draft and patience with those draft picks.

Joe is trying to rebuild by not going to the lottery, we have yet to see how that works, given all the injuries. In essence if you liked the way Port rebuilt, welll we need about 4 straight trips to the lottery, be patient and hope everything works out in our favor.

For the record, I think Rodney Stuckey can be as good as Brandon Roy....I know, I know, y'all probably think I'm :nerd2::nerd2::nerd2: for that one.

In essence if you liked the way Port rebuilt, welll we need about 4 straight trips to the lottery, be patient and hope everything works out in our favor.

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Yes, it would have to work that way and no thanks. The Pistons are not a learning organization and discovery of talent is a selection process that needs experience/years of service as a reference point. This is JD's strength and not draft picks.

For the record, I think Rodney Stuckey can be as good as Brandon Roy....I know, I know, y'all probably think I'm :nerd2::nerd2::nerd2: for that one

This appears to me to be the most similar player in the NBA to Amir from a statistical standpoint. Oden scores more, but with way more touches. Their FG%'s are identical, as are their assist numbers. Their foul rate is also almost the same. Oden is one of the strongest rebounders in the league (when healthy) and has an advantage over Amir, especially on the defensive boards. Amir is quicker and has an advantage in offensive rebs, steals and blocks... although they are both very strong shot blockers. Amir blocks more shots per personal foul by a slight margin (like the assist/turnover ratio for a PG).

It's too bad that Oden is absolutely injury riddled so far in his career. The NBA needs more old school centers IMO and Oden could be that.

IMO those per 36, 48 minute stats are garbage for bench players, especially. Starters have to go through everything but those 10-15 minute players fill their role and that is it.

Therefore TaS, don't waste the time with Amir's per36 stats.

Why JoeD let Amir go is obvious: he had PF filled with CV and Maxiell, but C position - only Kwame was there and Fear the Fro was big ??????. Now that's why JoeD signed Wilcox: do you want to go through the season with Kwame and big????.

IMO those per 36, 48 minute stats are garbage for bench players, especially. Starters have to go through everything but those 10-15 minute players fill their role and that is it.

Therefore TaS, don't waste the time with Amir's per36 stats.

Why JoeD let Amir go is obvious: he had PF filled with CV and Maxiell, but C position - only Kwame was there and Fear the Fro was big ??????. Now that's why JoeD signed Wilcox: do you want to go through the season with Kwame and big????.

Why JoeD let Amir go is obvious: he had PF filled with CV and Maxiell, but...

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I find it a little strange that Amir is the first big off the bench for a playoff bound team while Maxiell is getting DNP's for a lottery bound team. Is Toronto stupid or has Joe just made a series of bad choices on coin flips? Darko over Melo/Bosh/Kaman. Rip over Chauncey. Maxiell over Amir. Michael Curry over anybody else. Offense over defense in last year's FA period. I'm still a little hesitant to say that drafting a 190 lb SF to back up our 191 lb SF was a good idea.

I find it a little strange that Amir is the first big off the bench for a playoff bound team while Maxiell is getting DNP's for a lottery bound team. Is Toronto stupid or has Joe just made a series of bad choices on coin flips? Darko over Melo/Bosh/Kaman. Rip over Chauncey. Maxiell over Amir. Michael Curry over anybody else. Offense over defense in last year's FA period. I'm still a little hesitant to say that drafting a 190 lb SF to back up our 191 lb SF was a good idea.

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Putting aside Amir's skills for a moment, playing him beside Bosh and playing him beside Ben Wallace are very different things. Maybe Amir is doing well at least in part because of who he's playing with, as well as his own skills.

I find it a little strange that Amir is the first big off the bench for a playoff bound team while Maxiell is getting DNP's for a lottery bound team. Is Toronto stupid or has Joe just made a series of bad choices on coin flips? Darko over Melo/Bosh/Kaman. Rip over Chauncey. Maxiell over Amir. Michael Curry over anybody else. Offense over defense in last year's FA period. I'm still a little hesitant to say that drafting a 190 lb SF to back up our 191 lb SF was a good idea.

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Toronto is a good spot for Amir because they have no expectation of winning. He can do all the stupid things he did here and it does not take away from the things he does bring to the table.